SITE STRUCTURE OF 2 BURIED STONE CIRCLE SITES, SOUTHERN WYOMING

Archaeological block excavations at sites 48SW7107 and 48SW270 have pr ovided an opportunity to examine the use of space within and adjacent to two buried stone circles dating to the early Late Prehistoric perio d and located at the northern and western edges of the Great Divide Ba sin in southern Wyoming. Examination of the spatial patterning of the archaeological remains at those sites reveals clues about site activit ies and function. The excavation blocks at both sites contained a buri ed stone circle associated with a household activity area consisting o f interior and exterior domestic use areas. Site 48SW270 also had a sp ecialized activity area where extensive animal processing took place. The remains from site 48SW7107 represent a single short-term occupatio n during which only a few episodes of cooking meals, maintaining fools , and sleeping occurred while the remains at site 48SW270 are from mul tiple, but closely related occupations which were probably longer-term than those at site 48SW7107 and probably involved more intensive proc essing activities. The excavated portions of both sites appear to be r esidential camps of prehistoric groups using a residential mobility st rategy, but representing different types of mobility in terms of frequ ency and stability.